I loved the film. It definitely expanded the genre as of course it had to do if it stayed faithful to the Panther story line, which in broad strokes it certainly did.

I love it too.

Especially, I love the idea of seeing a super country on screen which is totally respectful of the Marvel Universe, particularly of Jack Kirby's concepts (Monster Island, Subterranea, Atlantis, Attilan, Olympia ...).

Wakanda was created as a super country by Lee & Kirby and, fortunately, the concept was later further developed, anew, in McGregor and then Priest runs.

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I think M'Baku has achieved inner circle status in T'Challa's royal court. It's hard to be certain, as we had little to go on. (One quick scene near the end where cast members are standing around the throne, M'Baku among them.) Assuming I've interpreted correctly, I like this development. He's more interesting this way. He also provides an example of another male in the inner court (besides T'Challa himself) who is genuinely noble, as he proved incontestably when he declined the Heart Shaped Herb so it could be used to heal T'Challa.

M'Baku has a personal code of honour but, IMO, he remains a Wakandan chieftain with his own agenda.
Also, the Jabari don't believe in the Heart-Shaped Herb, which is a symbol of the Black Panther religion.
I think that what will be interesting in the next Black Panther movies is that the Jabari are still an isolated religious minority group in Wakanda. It was one of Priest's bright ideas. M'Baku isn't a friend of T'Challa but he can remain an ally, as long as the Jabari are respected.

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Everett Ross is far less of a bumbling oaf in the film version than in the comics. (I haven't read all of Priest's run so maybe I have a slanted view of Everett in the comics.) And what a cool choice of actor! Bilbo, Doctor Watson - perfect.

Yes, Everett Ross is at the same time the outsider who sees Wakanda for the very first time and, to a certain degree, the equivalent of Felix Leiter (since Ryan Coogler built the Black Panther movie as a spy thriller).

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I wasn't expecting the Panther God to instead be described as a Panther Goddess, though it doesn't bother me and in fact I think her gender could explain the existence of the all-female Dora Milaje. I also wasn't expecting her to be named Bast, an Egyptian name, but after googling it appears this name has precedent in the comics. I was equally surprised when M'Baku's deity was named Hanuman, a Hindu Monkey God. No precedent in the comics that I can find. It would be cool if the next Panther film actually delved into Wakanda's ancient interactions with Egypt and India.

The beginning of the movie might have given an explanation : in the MCU, Wakanda might be the oldest civilization, older than Ancient Egypt, Ancient India, Ancient China and pre-Columbian America.
It is also confirmed by Klaue who compared Wakanda to El Dorado.

IMO, it is also a reference to the Lost-World literary subgenre and at the same time, the movie treats it from an upside down point of view : instead of the explorers & colonists, we see it from the point of view from the hidden exotic civilization which protects itself from the rest of the world.